Future of local fire service no longer in limbo

After months of haggling with the county government, the City of High Springs has finally struck a deal.

The city was in the process of trying to renew its fire service contract with Alachua County. The contract is essentially an agreement that the High Springs Fire Department will provide service to the unincorporated county areas bordering the city. In return, the county provides additional funding for the department’s operations.

The contract must be renewed annually, and the current one expires October 1. The city and fire department expressed the need for more money in the coming year, but the county repeatedly turned down new price proposals.

Facing the prolonged negotiations, High Springs was in a position to start discussing what to do if the contract was not renewed. In that event, the department would have had to downsize, possibly costing some firefighters their jobs.

But during a special meeting Tuesday night, the two government bodies reached an agreement. The contract will be renewed at $145,000, according to High Springs Commissioner Larry Travis. It will also provide for an additional $362 for every call where the High Springs Fire Department is the first responder.

This is $2,000 less than the city’s last counter offer of $147,000, which the City Commission had agreed on at a May 24 meeting. The $147,000 was in response to an offer from the county of $133,000.